Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi, have mourned the passage of the country’s first female Minister of Foreign Affairs and former Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations in New York, Ambassador Joy Ogwu.
Ogwu died aged 79, on Monday 13th in New York.
After being appointed by President Olusegun Obasanjo as the country’s first female Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2006-2007, she later represented Nigeria at the United Nations from May 2008 to May 2017.
PRESIDENT TINUBU
President Bola Tinubu has learned with profound sadness that Ambassador Joy Uche Angela Ogwu, who was 79, has passed away.
A former Minister of Foreign Affairs and former Ambassador/Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations in New York, Ambassador Ogwu represented Nigeria at the United Nations from May 2008 to May 2017.
A skilled diplomat and scholar, she served as the Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), where she made invaluable contributions to developing Nigeria’s foreign policy and international relations scholarship.
With inspiring dedication and skill, she presided over the UN Security Council twice, first in July 2010 and again in October 2011.
President Tinubu extols the late Ambassador for projecting Nigeria’s voice with clarity and purpose and working tirelessly for global peace, disarmament, international security, and the advancement of women’s rights.
The President extends his heartfelt condolences to Ambassador Ogwu’s five children, grandchildren, sisters and brothers, the entire Ogwu family, and the diplomatic and academic community, mourning the passing of the distinguished diplomat.
”Nigeria has lost a trailblazer who rose to the highest level of her vocation through excellence and hard work,” he says.
President Tinubu prays for the repose of her soul and for divine comfort for all who mourn the diplomat.
PETER OBI
I have received with profound sadness the news of the passing of a dear elder sister, Prof. U. Joy Ogwu, Nigeria’s former foreign minister, as well as former permanent representative of Nigeria to the United Nations.
Prof. Ogwu was a cosmopolitan. An unassuming trailblazer and lady of firsts, she was the first female Director-General of Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA); the first Nigerian female Foreign Minister in 2006; the first female Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations, in 2008, and in that vein, the first Nigerian female to preside over the UN Security Council (in July 2010 and in October 2011).
A renowned academic and researcher, she is the author of several books on foreign policy, disarmament, and the United Nations. Prof. Ogwu was an expert on security and disarmament issues and a strong advocate for women’s development and human rights.
Her demise is a great loss to her family, those close to her, Delta State and Nigeria. In consoling those she left behind, I pray that God will grant her family, and all of us the fortitude to bear this huge loss and grant her soul peaceful repose. -PO
